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Behind the scenes at the Scottish Poetry Library

This week in the SPL

20 July, 2012

Image: The latest issue of the Poetry Reader

So, what has the staff of the SPL been up to this week on your behalf?

In the SPL, Emma… was planning the first six months of activity for Living Voices, a new national pilot project to explore working with older audiences that we are developing with the Scottish Storytelling Centre. She also got to know her new colleagues at SPL.Outside the SPL, Emma… experimented with a summer herb and veg frittata. 'Promising, but still a work in progress.'

In the SPL, Jennifer… hosted a Scottish Poetry Library Poetry Workshop at Hemma, 'where everyone wrote and read wonderful new poems', and finalised the brochure for the SPL’s Autumn Programme. 'I’m so excited about all the events we’ve got coming up – hope you will be too.'Outside the SPL, Jennifer… found out that she has had a flash fiction of hers shortlisted in the 2012 Unbound Press Flash Fiction Awards and that she will be competing in the 2012 BBC Poetry Slam at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She also went to yoga and is now 'sore from doing a myriad of head, shoulder, hand and forearm stands (yes, apparently that is possible)'.

In the SPL, Julie… has been working on configuring the new library contact database 'I know, exciting huh? And you thought librarians just get to read books all day…', and she has also been working on preparations for our Edinburgh Art Festival exhibition Orchard.Outside the SPL, Julie… has just finished both Claudia Hammond’s Time Warped, 'a fascinating non-fiction read about our perception of time', and Robert Macfarlane’s The Old Ways, 'a meditative reflection on following old paths with a couple of great chapters where he sails with poet Ian Stephen'. And she went to see the movie Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present twice at Filmhouse last weekend 'the most moving and inspiring film I’ve seen in a long time'.

In the SPL, Kay… did some shopping on behalf of the SPL’s retail area. Look out for new stock coming soon!Outside the SPL, Kay… read The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers.

In SPL, Liffy… got permissions in for The Written World poems from Rwanda, Swaziland, Paraguay, Aruba, Lesotho and Laos – not a bad haul for a Tuesday. The new issue of the Poetry Reader came in and the Friends mailing was organised and ready to go early next week. 'Couldn’t have been done without the help of Abby, my 12-year-old daughter, and Jennifer’s delicious blueberry muffins.'Outside the SPL, Liffy… went to Moonrise Kingdom, a quirky, bitter-sweet movie about two misfit 12-year-olds who fall in love and run away to start their own adventure. 'Similiar, in ways, to Little Miss Sunshine: Great stuff.'

In the SPL, Lilias… is in the middle of design proofs for this year’s National Poetry Day postcards, and has been out and about reading poems in a care home, and at a women’s reading and writing workshop.Outside the SPL, Lilias… has been reading Wallander, leavened with Alice Oswald’s gorgeous selection of Wyatt, and an excellent book of recipes, Short and Sweet by Dan Lepard. 'Hard to say which is most enjoyable.'

In the SPL, Lizzie… has been examining the new edition of Alastair Mackie’s poems with great interest, and updating his biographical entry on the website.Outside the SPL, Lizzie… has belatedly started to read The Hare with Amber Eyes, trailing a year or two behind the rest of the world.

In the SPL, Sarah… had exciting top secret news from the BBC (watch this space), ploughed through piles of proofreading, uploaded lots of lovely new world poetry to the website, and tried her hand at translating a poem from San Marino.Outside the SPL, Sarah… continued her Werner Herzog obsession by watching Incident at Loch Ness and scoffed kimchi and dolsot bibimbap at her favourite Korean restaurant.

In the SPL, Colin… caught up with emails upon returning from a holiday in Pisa. ‘Laid on top of each other, the emails would be taller than the leaning tower.' He also recorded a podcast with poets Ryan Van Winkle and JL Williams.Outside the SPL, Colin… continued to wade through The Brothers Karamazov. 'It’s picked up a bit now it’s turned into a whodunit.'